Sunday, November 28, 2010

Many of the current ground weapons used by US Soldiers have been in use for decades. The M2 .50 caliber machine gun has been in service since 1933 and the M16 family of weapons have been in service since 1963. Weapons that have a long service life do so because of successful design and function. Over the years many weapons aimed at the military have come and gone. Often times these new weapons don't offer much of an improvement over currently used weapons to warrant a complete change over or they fill a niche that is not really necessary.

First is the XM806:

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XM806 .50 Caliber Machine Gun

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This .50 caliber machine gun is looking to dethrone the current king, Moses Browning's M2. The XM806 is suppose to be more accurate and half the weight of the M2 and some rumors say that it will not need to be head spaced and timed before operation. Read more at Kit UP! Blog.

Then there is the XM25:

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﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿The XM25 has just entered limited use in Afghanistan. This is a revolutionary weapon due to the fact that it is designed to target enemy targets behind cover. Not in the traditional way of shooting through the cover, but instead detonating a round behind the cover. They are calling it a 'Counter Defilade' weapon. "The bullet has a small magnet inside that lets it generate AC current as it spins and a microprocessor that measures those current oscillations to derive how far it’s traveled.” To read more check out The Truth About Guns blog. I fear this weapon in its current configuration is doomed to fail, because of its size. A Soldier will have to carry this weapon in addition to their primary weapon. I feel that once scaled down this may be a viable weapon to replace the barrel mounted M203 grenade launcher. ﻿

Friday, November 19, 2010

For those who don't know, I am a combat Soldier currently deployed in Iraq. Which gives me a front row seat to the 'lack of common sense' show. I would love to share some stories with you, but this is the wrong venue for that. I will, however, share with you two stories I read today which showcase the complete failure of common sense.

First story comes from AmmoLand.com. The nitty gritty of this story is that Mr. Aitken is a law abiding citizen and was following the letter of the law completely when he was arrested for being in the possession of three handguns. Please read the article for yourself and beware your brain may hurt after reading it, mine did: Gun Owner Jailed For Following The Law

The first story may make your head hurt, but the second story will piss you off. This story is being covered by TacticalLife.com. ﻿There is a guard member/security contractor that has been jailed in the U.A.E. for having in his possession 'firearm parts'. These parts they speak of have nothing to do with the operation of any firearm known to man. They include a cleaning kit and a forward vertical grip! These items are considered unauthorized contraband and therefor lead to his arrest and imprisonment. I encourage you to read the full story:

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Oh boy! I sure do love when a bureaucracy makes simple things difficult! David Codrea from the Gun Rights Examiner has an eye opening article on the interpretation about what mysterious things happen to a shotgun once a pistol grip is installed.

Monday, November 15, 2010

I am in the business of buying and selling guns. So naturally when one of my Friends or family want to buy a gun they ask me for some advice. If you do not know me personally once I start talking about firearms or anything firearm related, I become very long winded. That's why I was pretty excited when a found Don Curton's post at TheTruthAboutGuns.com. Mr. Curton says most of everything that needs to be said about the subject in a very coherent and short post.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

When we think about preparing for the worst we immediately try to satisfy the necessities. Food, water, clothing, shelter, but in today's modern world there are so many things that legitimize you in the material world. Such as: birth certificates, social security numbers, passports, licences, bank account numbers, etc. What if it is not practical to collect up all of this paper work in a short time or even worse all of this paper work has been destroyed? The guys over at SurvivalCache.com have thought about this and offer a great article on the subject.

﻿﻿Magnified optics enhance whatever weapon system they are placed on top of. With today's manufacturing methods and technologies it is hard to find a scope that isn't waterproof, shock proof, and fog proof. There are still some scopes out there that I would steer clear of for certain applications, but most modern offerings are above sufficient to be placed on an AR style rifle. The level of magnification is always up for debate and is what I consider to be dependent on what your intended purpose of the rifle is. If I have an AR chambered in a medium game cartridge (6.8 Rem or something similar) I might lean towards something with a little more magnification than 4x. Whereas, if you are buying a scope to place on top of a defensive/offensive carbine I would prefer to keep the magnification between 1-5x range. If you are planning on doing a lot of varmint hunting it might be more practical to use an optic with a much higher magnification and larger objective lens. The most important part of choosing an optic for your AR is figuring out the intended purpose of your rifle. All of the links will take you to OpticsPlanet.com, where you find more detailed specifications and reviews.

Leupold and Stevens Inc. was started in 1907 and is currently based in Oregon. Rifle scopes are their business and business is good. Many of Leupold's rifle scope offerings would work great on an AR style rifle, but I'll spotlight some of their lower magnification tactical offerings.

Nikon has been making high quality glass for many lens applications for many years. It only made sense that they entered the rifle scope market. They have built a very solid line of rifle optics that run the gambit from entry level to the highest quality optic you could want. Nikon has recently released their M223 line of optics designed for the AR platform.

Trijicon is a true force to be reckoned with in the tactical rifle optic market. Their Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) is considered by many to be the standard by which all others to be measured against. Trijicon makes their ACOGs in several different magnifications, recital patterns, and recital colors. I will touch on their basic version of the ACOG and one of their more “typical” scopes.

There are many other quality manufactures that have great scope offerings. I hope this is a good starting place for anyone looking for an AR optic. This just scratches the surface of the rifle optic world. I have not touched on turrets, recitals, or mounts. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments below, on twitter @RomeoTangoBravo, or e-mail RomeoTangoBravo@gmail.com

MRDs (mini red dots) have become very popular in recent years due to their size and weight. Optics manufactures have found that with new technologies they can build sights in a very small package that deliver big performance. Many may question the durability of these sights because of their size, but MRDs continue to prove themselves worthy of being placed on all sorts of weapon systems. Because of their small form factor, shooters are placing them on top of handgun slides and 'piggy backing' them on top of primary optics for enhanced performance on the range and the battle field.

Below I do not list all MRD options from each manufacture, because differences between each optic may differ only by MOA size or color of the dot. Remember you can always click on the hyper-links to visit the manufacturer's website or purchase the optic and read further specifications and reviews from Optics Planet.﻿

Wixom, Michigan based Trijicon is one of the most successful manufactures of optics because of their 'no battery needed' aiming sights. They achieve this by using Tritium which is a self illuminating isotope of hydrogen and combining it with a fiber optic illumination system. Trijicon produces optics for military, law enforcement and civilian use. Their line of MRDs is the most diverse out of the other one in this post. With MRDs that have been in combat for many years and MRDs that need no batteries to function it is clear why Trijicon is an optics mogul.

Insight technologies have been making products for the U.S. Military since 1988. They currently produce many laser illuminators and tactical lights under contract. Just recently they have put one of their own MRDs on the market.

This is not a complete list of all MRDs. This is a quick list of some basic sights that should be on your short-list of optics to buy. This is just scratching the surface of many subjects involving MRDs. If you have any questions please ask in the comments below, twitter @RomeoTangoBravo or email them to RomeoTangoBravo@gmail.com.

Friday, November 12, 2010

﻿Many people choose red dot sights because they are parallax-free and offer unlimited eye relief. Click on the hyper-links within the post to visit the sites to give you more information on each product. Optic links are directed to OpticsPlanet.com. The sights that I have listed below are the non-NV (night vision) capable versions of many popular military sights. The reason being; the non-NV sights tend to be 60-100 dollars cheaper than NV capable sights and generally the average shooter is not going to utilize a night vision device.

A Sweden based company, Aimpoint is one of the biggest players in the world of electronic sights. Their sights are widely used by the U.S., French, Swedish, Italian, Danish, and Finnish armies. Aimpoint sights are renowned for their durability and battery life. Aimpoint sights can achieve their superb battery life through their propriety ACET technology.﻿﻿

A Michigan based company, Eotech has become popular for their line of holographic weapon sights. Their sights have become very popular amongst military and law enforcement professionals along with the everyday shooter. What is recognized most is Eotech's 'circle and dot' reticule. USSOCOM, 10th Mountain, Stryker Brigade, and 3rd Infantry have all chosen Eotechs for their primary combat optic.

A Kansas based company, Bushnell has been a trusted name in hunting optics for over 50 years. A few years ago they saw the advantage of using a red dot and developed a few of their own. These are red dots that are not as seasoned as other brands, but are economical and do work.

Based in Middleton Wisconsin, Vortex Optics have been in the business since 1986. They have a couple of red dot optic stand outs that offer great performance at a reasonable price. Their VIP warranty is second to none and their 'About You' section says it all.

Wixom, Michigan based Trijicon is one of the most successful manufactures of optics because of their 'no battery needed' aiming sights. They achieve this by using Tritium which is a self illuminating isotope of hydrogen and often times combining it with a fiber optic illumination system. Trijicon produces optics for military, law enforcement and civilian use.

This is not a complete list of all red dot sights. There are many other red dot sights out there that are defiantly worthy to be on any ones rifle. This is a quick list of some basic sights that should be on your short-list of optics to buy. This is just scratching the surface of many subjects involving red dot sights. If you have any questions please ask in the comments below or email them to RomeoTangoBravo@gmail.com.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Any Soldier, that does any work, will tell you, "A good boot is indispensable." I know this from experience and talking/complaining with fellow troops about Army issue boots. Normally, when you get boots issued they feel like crap. You might try to break them in and maybe you get lucky and they work for you. More often than not though you'll be looking for a better boot that fits into the Army regulations. Danner has been making quality boots since 1932 and has earned the stamp of approval by many service members. Recently the Army has recognized the need for a 'beyond standard issue' type boot to become standard-ish. Christian over at Kit Up! Blog has posted some big news for the feet of many Soldiers.

ITS Tactical has a fantastic tutorial on how to escape from zip ties. It is becoming more and more common for police departments and security personnel to use zip ties for restraining people of interest. ITS covers several different techniques using video tutorials. This information is strictly for informational purposes and we do not condone resisting any law enforcement activities with this knowledge. How to escape zip ties is a good thing to know in 'what if' cases.

What if:

I am zip cuffed and in danger and need to find safety

I am zip cuffed during a home invasion and feel I can resist

I am zip cuffed at a party as a joke and don't think it's funny any more

These are just a few examples of knowing how to escape from zip ties can be helpful.

The AR style rifle is extremely versatile with several different ammunition options, barrel lengths, and accessories to match; but a good optic is what will ultimately go on top of any AR rifle. There is one primary question you have to ask yourself before you go out and spend your hard earned money on an optic. “What is the main purpose of my rifle?” Is your rifle going to be used for hunting, 3-gun competition, shooting paper, or is it going to be 'tacit-cool'? You've bought an AR, and now you want to place an optic on top; but which one?

There are three main categories of optics that mesh well with an AR rifle:

Red dots

Scopes

Iron sights

With in these three categories we will look at some standouts in the market. Within red dots we will also look at the emerging market of MRDs (mini red dots). The scope is what many consider to be the more traditional optic and we will look at several options in this field. Iron sights seem to be almost forgotten thing when it comes to the AR rifle, but is still a very necessary and effective sighting solution.

Over the next week (or when I find time to do it) posts will be added to the blog in a buyers guide format for each category. Each optic with have a link to it's manufacture and Optics Planet for prices and detailed specification sheets. I hope this will be helpful and informational.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

AmmoLand.com has announced that Aimpoint, the manufacturer of red dot weapon sights, has passed the one million mark for the total number of M68 CCOs (close combat optic) it has delivered to the U.S. Army. Aimpoint has been making the M68 (different variations exist) weapon sight under contract for the U.S. Military for 14 years and is going strong. There is no doubt that with the introduction of an electronic aiming sight, our Armed Forces have become more lethal and efficient when called upon to use their weapons. Congrats Aimpoint!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Vuurwapen Blog recently ran an interesting piece combating the mantra 'ARs need to be clean or else they won't work'. I am always asked, "How clean does my AR need to be?" The answer you'll receive from most military personnel will be, "Until you can't pull out any more carbon." However, this might be a little misleading. There IS such a thing as cleaning too much. This can lead to the wearing off of important coatings that are there to protect the firearm over time. I'm not saying that you shouldn't clean your rifle. What I'm saying is that often times most people will immediately attribute malfunctions to built up carbon, which is often not the case. What's most important with AR style rifles is keeping them lubricated.

Monday, November 8, 2010

In an effort to retain their top spot as the go to contractor for the U.S. Military's service rifle; Colt Mfg. has introduced what it considers to be the next rifle for our armed services. It was officially unveiled at the 2010 Association of the U.S. Army Convention and Exposition, held Oct. 25-27 in Washington, D.C. The CM901 is Colt's pony in the race. It has some stiff competition:

I am a big fan of training. I once heard the mantra, "All training is good training." I've wrestled with that saying for a long time. There always seems to be things we do in the name of "training" that just doesn't seem to make much sense. If you don't like asking yourself, "What does this have to do with anything? How does this affect me?" You need to check out Magpul Dynamics'sArt of the Dynamic Shotgun DVDs. It is the fifth instalment of the 'Art of' series from Magpul Dynamics and has been recently reviewed by Jeff at GunBlog.com This is worth checking out.

The State of Wisconsin if finally seeing that there is a way out of the darkness. For decades, as the rest of the Country have passed Carry Laws that protect the rights and lives or citizens; Wisconsin sat on the fringes and watched. Maybe a better way to say it would be they were told to look the other way. But now with the success of recent desicions like McDonald v. Chicago; Concealed Carry in WI may be on the horizon.

A Clark County judge says Wisconsin’s ban on carrying concealed weapons is unconstitutional. In the case, authorities charged a Sauk City man with carrying a concealed weapon, after he admitted he had a knife in his waistband. He never threatened anyone. In light of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago, attorney William Poss filed a motion to dismiss the case on constitutional grounds. Judge Jon Counsell obliged Wednesday, ruling the law is overly broad and violates both the Second and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution.“The government has to have a compelling state interest to do so (restrict the right to carry) and they have to have the least restrictive means of doing that,” said Poss. “Public safety obviously is a state interest, but there’s all kinds of ways to do that in this regard.” In his decision, Counsell states the law forces citizens to “go unarmed (thus not able to act in self defense), violate the law or carry openly,” but notes displaying weapon’s openly isn’t a “realistic alternative.”